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Their experiments concluded, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said he did not want to take chances for the Rugby Championship.
Rassie Erasmus and Siya Kolisi after the Springboks beat Georgia in Mbombela. Picture: Dirk Kotze/Gallo Images
The Springbok squad to play in the first two games of the Rugby Championship will feature more “experienced players who are suited to the way we want to play”, coach Rassie Erasmus said.
Following back-to-back wins against the Barbarians, Italy (twice) and Georgia, Erasmus is set to announce a 36-man squad to play against Australia in the tournament, first at Ellis Park on 16 August and then at Cape Town Stadium on 23 August.
Tried and tested Springboks
The Springboks blooded close to 50 players in their first four games of the season, including seven debutants. But with their experiments done, Erasmus said they are opting for the more tried and tested approach for the all-important tournament.
“We’ll name 36 guys on Tuesday for the Australia series and within that squad there’ll be one or two guys that we experiment with, but the bulk of that squad will be experienced players who are suited to the way we want to play,” Erasmus said after the Springboks beat Georgia 55–10 in Mbombela.
“The nice thing is that we’ve got a group of 48 players or so that we’ve used this year and there’s quite a couple that we’d also like to give opportunities to like Jaden (Hendrikse), Jordan (Hendrikse), Quan Horn, Renzo (du Plessis).
“But this was a series where we wanted to experiment a little bit so getting the scorelines we did is pretty satisfying. But the Rugby Championship is definitely a step up.”
The Springboks listed by Erasmus have sat out since the start of the season, while Vincent Tshituka, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Cobus Wiese, Ethan Hooker, Boan Venter, Marnus van der Merwe and Neethling Fouché all earned their first Boks caps.
Nine players will be back-up for injuries
Furthermore, the Springbok coach said there would be nine players on standby outside of the squad in case of injuries.
“Then we will announce the squad for New Zealand, and a lot of them will overlap. There will be guys in most of the squads – all three squads, including the Argentina at the end.”
He added that between all the players who have played Tests this year as well as last year, they all know what is expected of them. So the list of players, when it is announced, should not surprise anyone.
